Blackwell Reference Online

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The term “applied ethics” and its synonym “practical ethics” came into use in the 1970s when philosophers and other academics began to address pressing moral problems in society and in professional ethics (especially medical ethics and business ethics). Prominent examples, then and now, are abortion, euthanasia, the protection of human and animal subjects in research, racism, sexism, affirmative action, acceptable risk in the workplace, the legal enforcement of morality, civil disobedience, unjust war, and the privacy of information. Despite the recent origins of the term “applied ethics,” various topics that form its subject matter can be traced to ancient times. For example, liberties to publish controversial opinions, engage in civil disobedience, commit suicide, and choose one's religious viewpoint are matters of perennial interest, as are questions of unjust wars and the moral status of animals. Although moral philosophers have long discussed these problems, it is arguably the case that no major philosopher throughout the history of moral philosophy has developed a program or method of applied ethics. Moral philosophers have traditionally formulated theories of the right, the good, and the virtuous that are set out in the most general terms. A practical price is paid for this theoretical generality: it is usually hazy whether and, if so, how theory is to be applied to generate ... log in or subscribe to read full text